Hendrik Mahlkow

Dr. Hendrik Mahlkow is a quantitative trade economist at the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, specializing in environmental economics and geopolitics. He employs computational general equilibrium models to evaluate trade and climate policies through counterfactual scenario analysis, with recent work focusing on Ukraine conflict impacts, trade decoupling, and carbon border taxes.

His academic background includes a PhD in Quantitative Economics from Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, an M.Sc. in Agricultural Economics from Humboldt University Berlin, and a research semester at UC Berkeley. This foundation supports his interdisciplinary approach to global economic challenges.

Mahlkow's research centers on international trade policy, climate policy instruments, and development economics. He investigates how geopolitical conflicts, trade sanctions, and environmental regulations affect global value chains, with particular emphasis on structural change in emerging economies and food security in Africa. His methodology relies heavily on large-scale computational modeling to simulate policy outcomes.

Analysis of his recent publications reveals consistent focus on trade-climate-development intersections. Key themes include carbon footprints in trade imbalances, conflict-induced supply chain disruptions, and inequality impacts of climate policies. His work demonstrates how computational modeling can quantify complex policy interactions across geopolitical and environmental domains.

Mahlkow actively translates research into policy impact through consulting engagements with the European Parliament, European Commission, African Development Bank, and German Federal Ministry of Economics. Media coverage in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and ARD Brennpunkt highlights the real-world relevance of his analyses on sanctions, tariffs, and pandemic economic effects.

He operates within the Trade Research Center at the Kiel Institute, collaborating on projects evaluating international trade agreements and developing scenarios for transatlantic cooperation. His current work addresses evolving challenges in global trade governance amid geopolitical tensions.